Neuroendocrine and Non-Neuroendocrine Carcinomas of the Lung

Lung neuroendocrine carcinomas, i.e., small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), and non-neuroendocrine carcinomas, e.g. squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma are both thought to arise from the same endoderm as respiratory epithelium. However, it is not clear how neuroendocrine carcinomas acquire and maintaintheir neuroendocrine features. 

To date, 19 proneural factors that function in the development of the fetal neural system and differentiation of neuroendocrine cells of endodermal origin have been identified. In this study, we investigated the specificity of proneural factor expression in SCLC, lung LCNEC, lung squamous cell carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma. Read more...................